Matthew 9:3 kjv
And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
Matthew 9:3 nkjv
And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"
Matthew 9:3 niv
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
Matthew 9:3 esv
And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
Matthew 9:3 nlt
But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, "That's blasphemy! Does he think he's God?"
Matthew 9 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 9:6-8 | "But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." | Jesus demonstrates authority by healing. |
| Matt 12:31-32 | "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." | The seriousness of blasphemy. |
| Matt 26:65-66 | "He has uttered blasphemy... What do you think?" | High priest accuses Jesus of blasphemy. |
| Mark 2:7 | "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" | Parallel account, explicit accusation. |
| Mark 2:10-12 | "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." | Jesus proves His authority through healing. |
| Luke 5:21 | "And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, 'Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?'" | Parallel account, questioning Jesus' authority. |
| Luke 5:24-25 | "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." | Jesus validates His authority. |
| John 5:21 | "For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will." | Jesus possesses divine life-giving power. |
| John 10:33 | "The Jews answered him, 'It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.'" | Accusation of blasphemy, claiming divinity. |
| John 20:23 | "If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, they are withheld." | Jesus grants apostles authority to declare. |
| Acts 5:31 | "God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." | Christ exalted for forgiveness. |
| Col 3:13 | "bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." | Christians imitate Christ's forgiveness. |
| Lev 24:10-16 | "Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin... he who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death..." | Law regarding blasphemy, punishment. |
| Num 15:30-31 | "But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is a native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people." | Presumptuous sin and reviling God. |
| Isa 43:25 | "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." | God alone is the source of forgiveness. |
| Jer 31:34 | "No longer shall each one teach his neighbor... For they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity..." | God's forgiveness in the New Covenant. |
| Mic 7:18 | "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?" | God's unique attribute of pardoning. |
| Ps 103:2-3 | "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity..." | God's benefit of forgiving sin. |
| Dan 9:9 | "To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him..." | God's attribute of mercy and forgiveness. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | "Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears..." | Scribes' spiritual blindness illustrated. |
| Rom 1:21-22 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." | Blindness from suppressing truth. |
| Matt 15:7-9 | "You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" | Jesus condemning the scribes' legalism and hypocrisy. |
| Heb 9:22 | "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." | Law points to a necessary sacrifice for forgiveness; Jesus fulfilled it. |
Matthew 9 verses
Matthew 9 3 Meaning
Matthew 9:3 describes the immediate, internal reaction of some scribes upon hearing Jesus declare the paralytic's sins forgiven. They privately concluded that Jesus was uttering blasphemy, deeming His assertion of power to forgive sins as an unlawful appropriation of God's unique prerogative. This reveals their failure to recognize Jesus' divine authority and sets the stage for escalating conflict.
Matthew 9 3 Context
Immediate Context: This verse immediately follows Jesus' declaration of forgiveness to a paralytic man (Matt 9:2), prior to any physical healing. The paralytic's condition was widely linked to sin, making Jesus' pronouncement both audacious and profoundly significant. The scribes' reaction forms a crucial point of tension, directly leading to Jesus' further demonstration of authority through healing.
Chapter Context: Matthew chapter 9 showcases Jesus' power and authority in various dimensions: over sin (healing the paralytic), over disease (woman with hemorrhage, two blind men), over death (Jairus' daughter), and over demons. It also depicts His compassion for sinners by calling Matthew, a tax collector, and eating with them. Throughout, the chapter highlights the contrast between Jesus' liberating ministry and the restrictive legalism of the religious authorities, particularly the scribes and Pharisees, who consistently challenged His actions and claims.
Historical/Cultural Context: Scribes (grammateis in Greek) were expert interpreters of Jewish Law (Torah) and tradition, often serving as legal advisors or teachers. Their authority rested on their profound knowledge of Scripture. For them, forgiveness of sins was an exclusive prerogative of God alone, typically mediated through Temple sacrifices or repentance that resulted in divine absolution. Therefore, a man claiming to forgive sins directly was perceived as usurpation of divine authority—a grave offense considered blasphemy (blasphemia), punishable by death under Mosaic Law (Lev 24:16). This accusation underscores the profound clash between Jesus' inherent divinity and the scribes' strict, external, and human-limited understanding of God's ways.
Matthew 9 3 Word analysis
- And behold, (καὶ ἰδοὺ - kai idou): This Greek interjection serves to draw immediate attention, signifying a significant or surprising turn of events. It highlights the profound internal reaction that is about to be revealed.
- some (τινες - tines): Indicates a specific group, not necessarily all scribes present, but a significant and representative segment who shared this judgmental mindset.
- of the scribes, (τῶν γραμματέων - tōn grammateōn): Refers to the Jewish legal experts, masters of the Mosaic Law and oral tradition. Their role as custodians of the law positioned them to pass theological judgment, which here they do against Jesus.
- said (εἶπον - eipon): Although commonly translated as "said," in this context, coupled with "to themselves," it implies internal reasoning or thinking, not an audible declaration to others initially.
- to themselves, (ἐν ἑαυτοῖς - en heautois): Emphasizes that this was an internal thought, a private judgment or reasoning among them. This internal accusation suggests their hearts were already closed to Jesus’s true identity, processing His actions through a rigid, human-centric framework of divine prerogative.
- "This man (Οὗτος - Houtos): This demonstrative pronoun, used here without respect or title (e.g., "the Rabbi," "the prophet," "the Christ"), often conveys a dismissive or derogatory tone. It signifies their contempt, reducing Jesus to a mere mortal and thereby amplifying what they saw as His audacity.
- is blaspheming." (βλασφημεῖ - blasphemeī): From blasphemia (βλασφημία), meaning irreverent speech, slander, or speaking evil against God or sacred things. For the scribes, only God possessed the exclusive authority to forgive sins. A man claiming such authority was seen as directly insulting and demeaning God's uniqueness, therefore committing a capital offense according to their law.
Matthew 9 3 Bonus section
- The scribes' accusation of "blasphemy" foreshadows the central legal charge leveled against Jesus at His trial before the Sanhedrin, ultimately leading to His crucifixion. They consistently rejected His divine claims, viewing them as impious rather than legitimate.
- This verse underscores the profound difference between a merely human understanding of sin and forgiveness (mediated through sacrifices and religious observances) and Jesus' direct, inherent authority as God to forgive sins unconditionally.
- The fact that their accusation was initially an internal "thought" rather than an immediate shout speaks to their position as legal scholars and likely their desire to observe further or formulate a cohesive charge. It also implies their initial struggle to grasp what was happening.
Matthew 9 3 Commentary
Matthew 9:3 reveals a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry, illustrating the clash between divine authority and human religiosity. By unilaterally declaring the paralytic's sins forgiven, Jesus directly invoked a power that, according to Old Testament understanding and scribal tradition, belonged solely to God (e.g., Isa 43:25; Mic 7:18). The scribes, rigid interpreters of the Law, could not reconcile Jesus, a man, with such a divine claim. Their immediate, unspoken judgment of "blasphemy" stemmed from their literal interpretation of God's sole power and their profound misunderstanding of Jesus' true identity as the Son of God, God Incarnate. This private accusation would later become a public charge, forming the very basis for Jesus' condemnation (Matt 26:65-66). This scene emphasizes Jesus' unparalleled authority and serves as a vital lesson in discerning spiritual truth: an external adherence to rules, without internal recognition of God's new and unfolding work in Christ, can lead to rejecting the divine while claiming to defend it. It also demonstrates how a critical, judgmental heart can blind individuals to the divine presence and power at work before their very eyes.